KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Lawmakers in South Carolina are pointing to loopholes in the state's DUI laws after a video was released of a high-speed police chase involving a drunk driving suspect.
The video was from a traffic stop in Kershaw County last month as a part of a statewide DUI crackdown.
"You're not being truthful with me because I asked how much you had to drink, you said one, then two, and now you just handed me a beer," the trooper said. "Step out. Hey, hey, hey!"
Speeds during the pursuit topped 110 miles an hour, and the ordeal lasted for at least half an hour.
"He just blew a stop sign. He's on the wrong side of the road. Speeds of 110. He blew the stop sign at about 100. Hold on, hold on!" said the trooper.
Multiple jurisdictions got involved to trap the driver who then nearly ran over a trooper.
"Watch out he'll run over you!" a trooper said.
Finally, it ends.
"Get out, get down, get on the ground! " yelled a trooper.
The suspect was caught and arrested -- but even though he admitted to drinking -- he was released from jail only 10 hours later.
"The law is written in such a manner that we can never get a case through court."
Mothers Against Drunk Driving just released a three-year report that found the DUI conviction rate in much of the Palmetto State is less than 50 percent.
"A person can wreck into another vehicle, blow a 2.5, throw up all over themselves, admit to drinking 20 beers over the course of the day, but if their feet are blocked by the officer's patrol car hood, the case is being thrown out before it even goes to a jury."
That's because a 2009 amendment to the law requires the video recording of DUIs to be flawless. When a suspect's head was out of frame, the case was thrown out. When a stumbling person's feet were hidden, that case was also thrown out.
Any static in the audio, blip in the video, or shadow in the right place -- and chances are that person will walk free even if they blow over the limit.
"We're not just talking about the video being tossed out and we have to prove it with other evidence -- the whole case. A jury never gets to see the case."
South Carolina ranks second in the nation for alcohol-impaired traffic deaths.
